After coming off a 5/12 upset against Clemson, Purdue will now face McNeese State. The Southland champions will look to extend their NCAA tournament streak to two when they play the Boilermakers in the Amica Mutual Pavilion on Saturday.
This is a dangerous team from the Southland Conference. Coach Will Wade has a veteran, balanced group that can pose problems for anyone in the nation. As evidenced by their display against the ACC team in the First Round, they have a strong internal belief in being able to compete against those from the top conferences in college basketball.
Not having one guy to solely focus on can further complicate issues for coach Matt Painter and the scouting team. There is, however, someone who is due for a big game after a low-production outing for his standards against the Tigers.
Javohn Garcia is a well-rounded two-way player. At 6'3", the senior can be an issue for Braden Smith due to his size. Coach Painter will know this going in, but it's something to look for. At some point, the six-foot guard needs to beat his matchup. Smith is definitely capable of beating opposing backcourts off the dribble and getting to his spot to make the right play. This is an area for the Boilermakers to look at, especially earlier on.
The McNeese upperclassman comes with experience and, furthermore, only scored three points against Clemson. All of his production came from the free throw line. Considering he averages 12.6 points per game and has had several 20+ outputs on the year, it's safe to say that Garcia is bound to have a large impact on both sides of the court in this second-round matchup.
In a more telling way, coach Wade played Garcia 31 minutes despite not converting a single field goal attempt. His 0-6 from the floor would earn a lot of players a spot on the bench. Instead, the McNeese student-athlete showed his overall basketball skill by doing the other aspects well to help earn a spot in the next round of March Madness.
Do-it-all player for Purdue to watch
He blocked three attempts for McNeese State and, on the season, averaged 1.5 steals per contest. His active hands and defensive IQ allow him to set the tone for the Cowboys. Someone like this is dangerous around this time of year. A pedestrian initial three-point outing can very easily become more in a flash, coming as a surprise to those who are only now tuning into a program on the big stage.
Speaking after the game with reporters, Garcia gave his immediate reaction following the victory:
"I'm just very excited for the program. With everything we've been through, from the beginning of the year, it was rough at first, but we fought the way."
This encapsulates what the Cowboys guard is willing to do. Even on a personal low-scoring night, he filled the role of his team, leading through effort and hard work on the floor. McNeese State knows how special it is to be in this moment, and with players like Garcia, Purdue needs to stay on high alert against what can be a very dangerous tourney side.